Mechanism for folding paper bags



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1. E. STANLEY.

MEOHANISM FOR FQLDING'PAPER BAGS.

No. 568,500. Patented sept. 29, 1896.v

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E. STANLEY. MEGHANISM FOR FOLDING PAPER BAGS.

No. 568,500. Patented Sept. 29,1896.

Inventor.

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UNIT-ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDVARD STANLEY, OF BRIDGEPORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

MECHANISM FOR FOLDING PAPER BAGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part .of Letters Patent No. 568,500, dated September 29,' 1896. Application filed June Vl, 1896. Serial No. 593,687. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD STANLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanism for Folding Paper Bags, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to machines for folding paper bags, having reference more especially to the machine set out in my Letters Patent of the United States No. 503,810, dated August 22, 1893, to which reference may be had. The said patented machine is designed for folding previously-completed square bags, and, as generally stated, embodies means for partially opening the lateral bellows folds while the central portion of the bag remains flat; means for further opening such folds; means for folding inthe corners of the bag against the bellows folds; means for acting upon the edges of the inwardly-folded corners to straighten them, and, finally, means for pressing together the bellows folds of the bag with the inwardlyfolded corners thereof between them. Although the said machine was a practically operative construction, the means therein employed for foldin gin the corners of the bags against theA bellows folds and the straightening mechanism did not always effect precision and uniformity in the shaping of the corners of the successive bags, and therefore it is the object of the present improvement to provide mechanism to overcome this difficulty, which mechanism in its preferred, though not essential, form is illustrated in the annexed drawings, wherein- Figure l is a plan View of the improvement in connection with so much of a folding-machine as is necessary to show the invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, enlarged. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section, as on the line :rw of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is adiagram of the gear-train for driving .the coacting devices. Fig. 5 is a perspective of an ordinary square bag preparatory to its introduction to the foldingmechanism. Figs. 6, 7, and S represent the bag in the successive stages of its folding.

' In the patented construction above referred to the completed bag is delivered from the bag-machine between two coacting endless belts, by means of which it is carried into and longitudinally through the folding-machine. Suitably arranged in the. latter are suction-boxes, between which the bag is carried and by which the lateral bellows folds of the bag are drawn apart, the central part of the bag being held flat by and between the belts. At this time revolving openers or spreaders enter between the open folds and thereby further open them, each of said openers or spreaders comprising segmental beveled heads mounted on vertical studs that are appropriately geared with and driven from the main driving-shaft ofthe machine. The advancing corners of the bag approach and fit into laterally-arran ged folding-plates, the form of which is such that the corners of the bag are folded in fiat against the faces of the open bellows folds, respectively, the latter being still further opened by the operation. Revolving straighteningfingers are then applied'behind and against the vertical edges of the respective inwardly-folded corners of the advancing bag, and the bag is then carried between folding or creaser blades. At this point the opposite edges of the frame-pieces converge, and the lateral bellows folds of the bag are thereby pressed together with the inwardly-folded corners between them, so as to complete the folding of the bag. This being done the bags are carried by the belts to any suitable point of discharge.

Inl the construction herein the revolving openers or spreaders K above mentioned are employed, but the bevels'thereof are considerably reduced, so as to avoid a sudden and abrupt opening of the bellows sides of the bag. In advance of these spreaders are arranged a couple of auxiliary spreaders, the bevels or inclines of which are greater than those of the preceding spreaders, which auX- iliary spreaders are constructed and operated to enter the partially-openlbellows folds and still further open them. These auxiliary spreaders each comprise a V-shaped plate l on the end of an armfZ, which is afxed to the upper end of a vertical stud-shaft 3, the bearing-box 4 of which is supported on the IOO main frame. On the Vlower end of this shaft is a gear 5, with which coacts a gear driven from a gear 7 on the shaft of the preceding spreader. Then the sides of the bag are thus opened, its advancing corners are drawn partially inward, so as to form pockets, as indicated at in Fig. 6, whereupon as the bag advances a pair of vertically-swinging folding-fingers 8 on each side of the machine enters the adjacent pocket and acts against the upper and lower corners thereof in a manner to still further open the bellows side of the bag and draw its corners inward against the side.

The folding-fingers of each pair are pivoted at 9 to lugs lO on the respective arms of a yoke ll, that is mounted on a vertical shaft l2, which is supported in a box 113 on the main frame, the lower end of the shaft carrying a gear 1li, which is appropriately geared with and actuated by the driving-gearing, to the end that the yoke and its connections will be bodily rotated in concert with the spreaders.

The upper or free end of the lower linger overlaps the corresponding lower end of the upper finger, so that when the lower finger is swung inward the upper finger will be corre spondin gly moved, and when the upper finger is swung outward the lower finger will be likewise moved thereby. On the pivot-stud l5 of the lower finger is a pin 1G, which is connected with a pin 17 on the adjacent arm of the yoke by means of a spring 18, t-he tendency of which is to draw inward the said finger and therewith the upper finger. The pivot-stud of the latter finger has affixed thereto an arm 19, carrying an antifrictionroller 20, which, through the action of the spring. is held normally against a fixed cam 20a. This cam is supported on one end of a cross-bar 2l, that is bolted or otherwise se cured to a cani-head 22, suitably mounted on the upper longitudinal frame-piece 23, the function of which head will presently appear.

The relation of the parts just described is such that during the passage of the pocketed corner of the bag to the fingers the roller is traveling on the decline of the cam, in consequence of which each pair of fingers is moved to the inclined position; but when the bag has advanced sufficiently in respect to the rotary path of the fingers the latter enter the pocket, and at the same time the roller, riding against the incline of the cam, causes the fingers to resume their vertical position. The fingers thus advancing with the onwardly-moving bag take against the opposing upper and lower corners of the pocket in a manner to force open the bellows side of the bag and uniformly and accurately flatten the pocket inwardly thereagainst, as above stated. Immediately succeeding this operation a vertical V-shaped wing 24. is swung against the inwardly-folded corner of the bag in a manner to effect the creasing of the foldlines y thereof, Fig. 7, and insure the subsequent uniform folding of the bag. This wing is affixed to a vertical rock-shaft 25, which is mounted in and between the arms of the yoke, a spring 20 being secured to such wing and to the hub or body of the yoke, so as to draw the wing normally inward. On the upper end of the shaft is an arm 27, carrying an antifriction-roller 28, which is adapted during the rotation of the yoke to take against the opposing cam-shaped edge of the head 22, above referred to, and to be thereby actuated to throw the wing outward in opposition to the spring.

The several parts just described are so timed in respect to each other and to the finger-actuating mechanism above recited that just when the corner of the bag has been moved inward by the fingers, as previously stated, the wing is turned against such corner, thereupon passing on around and resuming its normal position for a succeeding operation. As the bag is carried forward from this position by the belts it passes between the folding or creasing blades N N and bet-Ween the converging portions of the frame pieces, which thus gradually press together the lateral bellows folds of the bag with the inwardly-folded corners between them, thereby completing the folding of the bag in the same manner as in my aforementioned patented machine.

l clai 111- l. The combination, with means for opening the bellows folds of a bag, of means for entering the corner-pockets thus formed and drawing upon the upper and lower portions thereof, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with means for carrying a bag having lateral bellows folds, of means for opening said folds, and means 1novable in the path of the traveling bag adapted to enter the corner-pockets thereof, and to draw upon the upper and lower portions of said pockets, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with means for opening the bellows folds of a bag, of fingers for entering the corner-pockets thus formed, and means for moving said fingers against the upper and lower portions, respectively, of the pockets thus formed, substantially as described.

it. The combination, with means for opening the bellows folds of a bag, of pivoted fingers for entering and spreading the cornerpockets thus formed, a spring to maintain said fingers in one position, and a cam to move them in opposition to the spring, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with means for carrying a bag having lateral bellows folds, of means for opening said folds, a rotary support, means for rotating the same, oppositelypivoted fingers on said support adapted during their rotary movement to enter the corner-pockets of the bag, and means for swinging said fingers during such movem ents, substantially as described.

G. The combination with means for carry TOO TIO

ing a bag having lateral bellows folds, of a rotary yoke, means for rotating the same, overlapping fingers pivoted to said yoke as described, a spring to maintain the lingers in one position, a fixed cam, and connections between said fingers and cam, whereby the lingers during their rotation are actuated in opposition to the spring, substantially as described.

7. The combination, With means for opening the bellows folds of a bag, of means for entering the corner-pockets thus formed and drawing upon the upper and lower corners thereof, and means for acting against and creasing said pockets, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with means for folding the corners of a bag having lateral bellows folds, of laterally-movable creasingwings, and means for moving said wings against the folded corners, to effect the creasing of the fold-lines thereof, substantially as described.

9. The combination, with means for folding the corners of a bag having lateral bellows folds, of a rotary support, means for rotating the same, a creasing-wing pivotally mounted on said support, and means for swinging said wing against the folded corner during the rotation of the support, substantially as described.

lO. The combination, with means for folding the corners of a bag having lateral bellows folds, of a rotary support, means for rotat-ing the same, a creasing-wing pivotally mounted on said support, a spring tending to hold said wing in one position in respect to the support, and a cam to move it in opposition to the spring, substantially as described.

ll. The combination, with means for carrying a bag having lateral bellows folds, of a rotary support, means thereon for folding the corner of the bag, and means thereon for creasing the folded corner, substantially as described.

12. The combination, with means for carrying a bag having lateral bellows folds, of a rotary support, means for rotating the same, fingers pivoted to said support as described, means for actuating said fingers during their rotary traverse, a creasing -wing pivotally mounted in said support, and means for oscillating said wing during the rotation of the support, substantially as described.

13. The combination, with means for carrying a bag having lateral bellows folds, of a rotary yoke, means for rotating the same, overlapping ingers pivoted to said yoke as described, a spring to maintain the fingers in one position, a xed cam, connections between said fingers and cam, whereby the iingers during their rotation are actuated in opposition to the spring, a rock-shaft in said yoke, a creasing-wing fixed thereto, a spring to maintain the wing in one position, a fixed cam, and connections between said shaft and cam, whereby the wing during its rotation is actuated in opposition to the spring, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto afxed my signature in the presence of two subscribing` witnesses.

EDWARD STANLEY.

Witnesses:

ANDREW V. GROUPE, JOHN R. NOLAN. 

